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The 194

On Friday night, my kids and I witnessed an unpleasant incident. We were about to walk into a restaurant/bar on the ground floor of the Smith Tower when we saw the confusion of a black man running down the street with his daughters. A second later, we realized that they were running toward a bus that had come to a stop on the corner of Second and Cherry. It was the number 194 and the father had one daughter in his arms and the other running just behind him. Both daughters were neatly dressed and around the age of six. As they crossed Cherry, the 194 left the bus stop and waited for the red light to turn green. The father reached the 194, which was only a meter or so from the bus stop, and begged the driver to let them in. It was cold; they had a long way to go; the girls needed to get home. The driver refused to open the door and when the light turned green, drove off just like that. One of the daughters started crying. I took my disturbed kids into the restaurant/bar. They had food and I had a couple stiff drinks. Bus drivers can be such bastards with their little power.

Comments

I have been at the losing end of this scenario many, many times... sans children though, which I guess makes it more annoying than depressing scene you described. Bus drivers can be real bastards... especially since there isn't going to be another 194 coming for a while... about 12 hours if that was the last express of the day.

On the other hand, that driver is responsible for anything that should happen to passengers boarding outside a specific zone... if he'd pulled away from the curb and still let them on, would've been the driver's, and Metro's, ass in a sling should anything have happened.

I imagine Metro takea measures to discourage running after buses as well, which can be extremely dangerous. (The one and only time I saw a person killed, in person, was a woman chasing the 174 across 2nd. It's not a fun image to have burned into your brain).

This isn't just a 194 issue. It happens on occasion on any bus with MetroKC or Sound Transit or Community Transit or Olympia Transit, etc. Dougsf spot on. Some drivers follow the rules to the point of seeming merciless.

But in general, Seattle actually has the nicest bus drivers for a 2mil plus city.

The only cities where I've experienced nicer drivers were in Boston and Reykjavik.

Hmm, the driver was a bastard: that is obvious. But on the other side of the coin, people get upset if the driver sits and waits for every person who is running late since that makes the bus later and later. Fault formula? 95% the driver's fault and 5% the guy and his kids for not trying to get to the stop in time.

I've had drivers that are stopped behind another bus, such as on Market Street, and refuse to let people on or off until they can scoot another 5 feet forward to get in front of the painted curb. I would think that the policy is to prevent people from making up their own stops or hailing buses like cabs, not silly nitpicky shit like that.

As I told a woman once waiting for the bus, "if the bus isn't late it was early."

Metro sucks, and so do too many of their drivers. Since I don't have or want a car, I have no other choice but to ride Metro. Had the city/county/state not wasted all our money studying a rail system they never planned on building, maybe we would have a lot better bus system.

It is pretty simple: If the bus is moving or has started moving, they aren't allowed to let people on. I get this, it keeps the buses from running people over in the street which is typically a good thing to avoid.

But that bus was at a complete stop right next to a bus stop.

Bus drivers will prattle on about safety rules if you call them on this, but the fact of the matter is that the drivers who are not jackasses will let people on if they get to the bus while it is stopped. I'd say that jackass to not jackass runs about 50/50 in metro.

Hell, I had a driver lecture me for knocking on his window while he was stopped at a light next to the bus stop after I'd run three blocks to catch him at the next stop.

I'm a liberal guy and I like unions and appreciate them for scoring weekends for us, but I wonder if bus drivers would be such jackasses if they had to keep ridership up if they wanted a good performance review and a raise.

Really though, this could be read either as "Stickler for the rule's Metro driver heartlessly denies family a ride",

OR,

"Kids learn important life lesson on punctuality". (Ever try and get a pair of 6 year olds out of the house on time? Chances are, dad tried his best here.)

Regardless, Metro bus drivers are some of most pleasant I've experienced, and more than anywhere - ableit probably against their training - actually make some effort to police their coaches. Here in SF (who are paid highest second only to Boston), if any trouble should break out on the bus, the freakin' driver is almost certain to be the first person off the bus. I'm not expecting heroics in the face of peril here MUNI drivers, but fuck I have witnessed some of the most obscene indifference.

I have met some really great Metro drivers in the 16 years I have lived in Seattle, but all it takes is a couple really nasty SOBs (or female equivalent) to sour me on the experience. I have heard some of the most racist comments come out of the mouths of Metro drivers, and when I called in to complain, nothing was done.

sounds like they would have made it if it hadn't been for the light. i've missed so many buses waiting for lights to turn green. it's a lot harder to make a quick break for it with two little kids in tow.

I've seen some pretty hairy shit on MUNI when I lived in SF and had to ride the 15. Including a bus driver telling a guy in a wheelchair to fuck off because the bus was too crowded (at 10pm). The bus would regularly have people smoking cigarettes and weed in the back, and all the emergency exit windows flapped on every corner. At one point, they threatened strike, partially due to the danger of that route.

Metro drivers at their rudest are still amazingly polite and nice.

Regardless of the drivers, our transit situation here IS abysmal, and its time something was done about it. I'm pretty certain adding more car capacity isn't it.

schedules...
most seattle buses don't adhere to schedules. every other city (and country) i've lived in, the schedule is adhered to religiously. when a bus is ahead, the driver waits at a stop so people at further stops aren't jacked because the driver isn't paying attention to the time.

additionally, there have always been fewer stops (why the hell does the 26/28 REALLY need to stop 5 times in a 1/4 mile stretch?!?)

also, if the city would buy buses with less seats, they'd be able to accomodate more people during rush hour. and then, during the day when it's no so crowded, mothers could take their strollers on sans difficulty...

the pubic transportation in this city is pathetic. but it is still (slightly) better than the alternative, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

Matt #17 - Agreed, transit in Seattle sucks, and the reason my little rant only contained one curse word is that the bus is no longer part of my daily commute (BART now), and agreed, I also used to ride the 15 when I was on Potrero... shit was hairy. Still, at least we have other options.

Mike #18 - Agree with two of your points. In most places where I've relied on public transit, it seems there's twice as many bus stops as neccessary. And those Metro buses with all the seating an the tiny isles just don't make sense outside of the really long commute routes. More standing room would benefit capacity and load times.

I think it would also help if there were buses that were in the ride free only area. Paint the buses a specific color indicating that they only serve the ride free area. All other buses that are not painted that color, you have to pay to get on. The buses shouldn't be used as a rolling homeless shelter.

Compared to Denver's RTD, Metro was a dream come true. But I never understood why they had so many stops on their routes (except the 358 which has stops only once every 5 blocks). But RTD did listen when I complained about the bus coming too early (since I had a half hour wait for the next bus I went back home and called to bitch about it, and they were able to verify the bus was ahead of schedule via GPS - back in 1994!) The bus wasn't early any more after that.

excellent drivers are better than robot monorails. but robots at least you expect to be heartless and can be reconciled with a pleasant worldview. they will always be on time. that driver can't be. so people should not treat other people such as this. open the dang door, you are a public servant and oppressed too.

Metro policy forbids drivers from accepting or discharging passengers in any place other than a bus stop (emergencies excepted). Had the driver allowed the family to board, he or she could have been punished by Metro management.

I've ridden Metro almost every working day for well more than a decade, and almost seen many persons hit when running for busses. Safety first. I agree that missing the 194 really hurts, since the 174 (the local) takes infinitely longer to make the same trip.

Oddly, several critical responses ignored crucial facts: The bus was fully stopped, waiting for a red-light to change, and still refused to accept the man with his daughters: No travel time lost.
The #194 in the evening runs about every ½ hour, so miss one and your travel time is extended significantly. On a cold night, this can be an emergency.
Ok, Metro policy forbids... but I've seen many drivers pick up or drop off someone at an unorthadox spot if it is safe to do so. And I've seen then refuse to do so on safety grounds too.
The Bus Driver is clearly at fault in Charles' story. And it's a major fault when it involves children.
In Seattle some drivers are idiots/bastards, the vast majority are pleasant, a few are insanely pleasant. I've also seen a Metro driver shut the door and drive off when a couple who flagged the bus to stop continued their special conversation/goodbye inappropriately long. I congratulated the driver.

There are many good bus drivers, but for some yes, that bus is their own personal kingdom. I've had the same thing happen to me, with the bus driver simply pointing back at the bus stop three feet behind him. I've also had a bus driver yell at me for standing in the rear doorwell. WTF? Why is there a handle there? Oh, power trip. I see.

18: I like your ideas of fewer seats (= more standing room) and fewer stops. It always annoyed me that there were stops every other block, slowing the route waaaay down.

What is it about riding bicycles that turns people like you into such self righteous assholes? Seriously, why are so many bicyclists such self-righteous assholes? Bicycling is not a commuting alternative for about 98 percent of Seattleites. This city has too many hills and too much rain and it's just too fucking dark in the winter to make riding a bicycle anything other than an exercise in masochism. Now, if that's your kink I'm fine with it, please yourself, but don't offer it as a serious transit alternative.

Oh, and for all of you self-righteous Critical Massholes out there, I do ride a bike and in fact did the StP last summer, with one leg and a broken wrist, so as far as bike cred goes you can all kiss my hairy, white, crippled ass.

Doesn't anyone find it incredibly tacky that Mr. Mudede finds it necessary to qualify the ethnicity of the man running for the bus? One would almost think he wanted to start some sort of discourse on how that would have never happened to any other person running for a bus with their children if they weren't black. Just lame.

As for the bicyclists and their rudeness! Right on! How many people have we all seen in downtown Seattle almost get knocked off of the sidewalks by bike messengers who like to weave on the street then sidewalk then street. Just run over the fuckers because it's not like any of those losers are going to be contributing any tax dollars to either a tunnel rebuild OR a new viaduct.

Well look who the comment is coming from for goodness sakes. What other writer at The Stranger would qualify an individuals ethnicity like that given the situation??? It's just inappropriate and quite frankly not even politically correct.

I find it interesting that the race was included in the post indicating that there is some sort of racial issue here....? I've seen drivers who are strict to the rules and those who fudge em. I have been parly to both being allowed on by some and not by others. Never once have I seen those decisions be based on what looks to be anything but the whim of the driver and their disgruntled or indifferent attitude.
I suspect, knowing very little about the insurance business that the decision isnt racial at all but economic. I do know that like most business's (if not all of them) that it's about the all mighty dollar and that being said if anything were to happen to someone getting on or off a metro bus...the insurance companys will not even consider any kinda payout if said incident occured, so much as a proveable inch, outside of their designated area, no matter what the conditions.
That leaves the driver (underpaid, underprotected, lower mid.class citizen at best) on the hook for a civil suit.
My point is... it should be expected that it doesnt matter if they are one inch past the line, runnin on time or not, set the customer expectation of being able to get on or off a bus at the bus stop only (no exceptions)and then incidents like this become unfortunate but understandable.
Couple this with some culpability on the part of metro to address issues such as running a scheduled route on time for once and making that a clean and safe ride... but I'm now convinced that isnt what this post was meaning to address.